Business rates have changed more in 2026 than in the previous decade. A revaluation took effect on 1 April 2026, based on rents at 1 April 2024. The old two-rate system became five multipliers. And on 28 October the Chancellor widened 100% relief for high street businesses from April 2027. If you have not looked at your bill line by line this year, now is the time.

The 2026/27 multipliers

Your bill is your rateable value (RV) multiplied by the relevant rate, minus any reliefs. Havering Council publishes these rates for 2026/27:

For comparison, the small business multiplier in 2025/26 was 49.9p. Lower multipliers do not guarantee a lower bill, because many rateable values went up at revaluation.

Reliefs worth checking now

• Small Business Rates Relief. Full relief up to £12,000 RV, tapering to £15,000, if you occupy one property. The grace period after you take on a second property has been extended from one year to three.
• 2026 Supporting Small Business relief. If you lost Small Business Rates Relief, rural relief or retail relief because of revaluation, the increase in your bill is capped at the greater of £800 or the transitional cap. This is applied automatically in most cases, but check.
• Transitional relief. Large increases from revaluation are phased in. For small properties in London with an RV up to £28,000, the cap for 2026/27 is 5%.
• Retail multiplier. If you used to get retail relief, Havering says your bill should be calculated on the lower retail multiplier automatically. If you think you are on the wrong one, contact the council.
• EV charging. Separately assessed electric vehicle charge points and EV-only forecourts get a 10-year 100% exemption.

What changes in April 2027

The Budget raised the threshold for 100% Small Business Rates Relief for qualifying retail, hospitality and leisure businesses in England from £12,000 to £18,000 RV, with tapered relief up to £21,000. Retail, hospitality and leisure properties above that get a two-year freeze in bills to April 2029. Pubs, social clubs and most live music venues get a further 20% cut.

Outer London has many independent units with rateable values between £12,000 and £21,000: a typical high street shop in Hornchurch, Upminster or Collier Row. For those businesses this could be worth several thousand pounds a year.

Note what is not included. Offices, workshops, trade counters and industrial units on estates such as those at London Riverside or Harold Hill do not get the new threshold. That is a live issue for the Chamber to raise with government and the borough’s MPs.

Check your rateable value

Revaluation errors are common. Floor areas get measured wrongly, partitions are missed, a unit is compared with a much better one down the road. You can see your 2026 RV and how it was worked out on the VOA’s Find a business rates valuation service.

If it looks wrong, you can challenge it through the VOA’s Check, Challenge, Appeal process. Be wary of agents who cold-call offering to do this for an upfront fee; a reputable local surveyor or rating agent will tell you honestly whether you have a case.

Don’t forget the extras

Businesses in Romford town centre and London Riverside also pay a Business Improvement District levy. Larger properties in London pay the Crossrail Business Rate Supplement. A 1p transitional supplement applies in 2026/27 to ratepayers who are not receiving transitional relief or the Supporting Small Business scheme.